Document and Entity Information	6 Months Ended
	Jun. 30, 2014
Document And Entity Information [Abstract]
Document Type	10-Q
Amendment Flag	false
Document Period End Date	Jun. 30, 2014
Document Fiscal Year Focus	2014
Document Fiscal Period Focus	Q2
Trading Symbol	SUSQ
Entity Registrant Name	SUSQUEHANNA BANCSHARES INC
Entity Central Index Key	0000700863
Current Fiscal Year End Date	--12-31
Entity Filer Category	Large Accelerated Filer
Entity Common Stock, Shares Outstanding	187,705,957